26 May 2023, 16:33
The Girl in the Boat
"We don't want to enter the Sorting Ceremony
with soaking clothes, do we?"
with soaking clothes, do we?"
1st Year, September 2022
Crickets sang in the forest and the moon reflected its cold light in the black lake when the Gothic medieval castle finally revealed itself from behind the trees. The students gasped when they gazed upon its many windows and towers and you could tell by the eager chatter that there was a mixture of both excitement and tension among them.
They were lead down to the docks and told to be careful not to slip. Simon could not believe that he was finally here. The castle was much bigger than he had anticipated; there were windows beyond count! Which gave a hint of just how big the castle was. How was he going to be able to sleep tonight when there was so much to explore? He certainly did not want to miss a thing from his school year. He was in for it all.
As they stepped onto the docks, one after another, the students got more and more squeezed together. Simon got behind a girl with blond hair. She was almost a head shorter than him, but he could still smell the schampoo from her hair when the chilly wind blew in from the lake. It reminded him of those products his squib sister was developing for her beauty product brand in London.
"Hey, don't push!", somebody said.
"I'm not pushing!", said another.
A loud splash was heard from the back, followed by a whimpering. (Luckily the poor boy only dipped one leg). Simon and the blond girl that stood in front of him moved towards one of the available boats. Simon entered first. The dock was wet and slippery so he turned around and offered his hand.
"Here, take my hand", he said and smiled politely. "We don't want to enter the Sorting Ceremony with soaking clothes, do we?"
Interacting with @Madison Bennett
Last edited by Simon Tilia on 1 Aug 2023, 08:55, edited 20 times in total.
26 May 2023, 16:50
The Girl in the Boat
Madison had stepped down to the docks and looked in awe as she saw Hogwarts in front of her eyes, it was massive!! As she stood on the docks, listening to the guide, she steps forward and smiles at the boy holding out his hand for her "thank you" she says, taking his hand and getting into the boat.
"I'm Madison by the way and thanks for the hand, i would have fallen in otherwise" she said with a giggle and a cute smile, pushing hair behind her ear as she sat down next to him in the boat.
As they sat in the boat whilst it rowed across to where Hogwarts was, Madison stared in awe at the castle and smiled.
"It's beautiful isn't it? I'd heard stories about it from my parents but, it looks even more amazing in person" she says, smiling at the boy who was in the boat with her.
As Madison sat there thinking about what to say to the boy next to her as the boat took them slowly across the lake, she saw the moon shining onto the water and, in the reflection, she could just make out some mermaids, along with many other creatures that lived in the waters surrounding Hogwarts.
"I'm Madison by the way and thanks for the hand, i would have fallen in otherwise" she said with a giggle and a cute smile, pushing hair behind her ear as she sat down next to him in the boat.
As they sat in the boat whilst it rowed across to where Hogwarts was, Madison stared in awe at the castle and smiled.
"It's beautiful isn't it? I'd heard stories about it from my parents but, it looks even more amazing in person" she says, smiling at the boy who was in the boat with her.
As Madison sat there thinking about what to say to the boy next to her as the boat took them slowly across the lake, she saw the moon shining onto the water and, in the reflection, she could just make out some mermaids, along with many other creatures that lived in the waters surrounding Hogwarts.
Last edited by Madison Bennett on 27 May 2023, 16:40, edited 2 times in total.
'Don't be afraid to shine, even if the rest of the world have turned their lights off' Sta - 7 | Eva - 6| Str - 6| Wis - 9| Arc - 5| Acc - 7 |
26 May 2023, 17:05
The Girl in the Boat
Interacting with @Madison Bennett
"It's beautiful isn't it? I'd heard stories about it from my parents but, it looks even more amazing in person."
"Yes," said Simon. "I'd never imagined it to be so big! I'm Simon, by the way. Simon Tilia." He shook her hand and noticed how cold she was.
During the short trip over the Great Lake, he told the girl he was half and half, that only his father had attended Hogwarts. The girl seemed nice. He got a feeling she was just as excited, and nervous, as he was about beginning his first year at Hogwarts. Before entering the shore, Simon remembered that the Great Lake was said to be home to a giant squid. And mermaids! He wondered if they could have spotted them if they had paid more attention on the lake, but he had been as equally captivated by the castle as by talking to Madison.
"So which house are you hoping to get sorted into?", Madison asked as they walked up the stairs.
"Between you and me," said Simon with a lowered voice (also, he did not want his maturing voice to crack). "I have no idea. It feels as if I could as well end up in any of them! What about you?"
Last edited by Simon Tilia on 1 Aug 2023, 08:56, edited 2 times in total.
27 May 2023, 05:46
The Girl in the Boat
"Nice to meet you Simon, and thank you again back there for helping me in, I don't have the best balance."
Madison said with a smile, trying not to show how cold she really was. As she walked with Simon, Madison knew she could have been better at talking to him whilst they were in the boat, but she was so mesmerised by the castle that she kind of forgot. Madison listened as Simon answered her question and then smiled
"Well, I honestly don't know, my mum was in Ravenclaw, my Dad was in Hufflepuff and my older brother is in Ravenclaw like my mum. I kind of want to be in Hufflepuff like Dad, I'm not as smart as my mum or brother. Whenever they were studying together, my dad and I would be outside playing Quidditch."
She says with a giggle, She didn't want to say too much in fear of being told she talks too much, however, she looked around and didn't see any adult and all the other 1st years were talking amongst each other.
"It would be nice to be in the same house, though even if we're not, would you still want to be friends?"
Madison asks Simon as they continue to stand on the staircase. She really hoped he'd say yes because other than him, no one else had really talked to her and she'd sat in a carriage on the train on her own. She didn't mind it because it meant she'd been able to just read and stare out of the window but she was happy now to be talking to someone and getting along well with them too. She could feel her cheeks turn a light shade of pink and took her jacket off, her school uniform underneath, though she was careful to hide the scar on her left hand from the accident she'd had as a young girl, she'd sworn to herself never to tell anyone and she hadn't not even her parents, but Simon seemed different and she thought that she might be able to tell him about it, though right now would not be the right time to do so and so she just smiled and stood beside him as she felt the other 1st years quiet down as an older professor approached and started talking to them, though she didn't really listen to what they said.
Madison said with a smile, trying not to show how cold she really was. As she walked with Simon, Madison knew she could have been better at talking to him whilst they were in the boat, but she was so mesmerised by the castle that she kind of forgot. Madison listened as Simon answered her question and then smiled
"Well, I honestly don't know, my mum was in Ravenclaw, my Dad was in Hufflepuff and my older brother is in Ravenclaw like my mum. I kind of want to be in Hufflepuff like Dad, I'm not as smart as my mum or brother. Whenever they were studying together, my dad and I would be outside playing Quidditch."
She says with a giggle, She didn't want to say too much in fear of being told she talks too much, however, she looked around and didn't see any adult and all the other 1st years were talking amongst each other.
"It would be nice to be in the same house, though even if we're not, would you still want to be friends?"
Madison asks Simon as they continue to stand on the staircase. She really hoped he'd say yes because other than him, no one else had really talked to her and she'd sat in a carriage on the train on her own. She didn't mind it because it meant she'd been able to just read and stare out of the window but she was happy now to be talking to someone and getting along well with them too. She could feel her cheeks turn a light shade of pink and took her jacket off, her school uniform underneath, though she was careful to hide the scar on her left hand from the accident she'd had as a young girl, she'd sworn to herself never to tell anyone and she hadn't not even her parents, but Simon seemed different and she thought that she might be able to tell him about it, though right now would not be the right time to do so and so she just smiled and stood beside him as she felt the other 1st years quiet down as an older professor approached and started talking to them, though she didn't really listen to what they said.
'Don't be afraid to shine, even if the rest of the world have turned their lights off' Sta - 7 | Eva - 6| Str - 6| Wis - 9| Arc - 5| Acc - 7 |
27 May 2023, 06:52
The Girl in the Boat
Interacting with @Madison Bennett
Hearing that Madison had a preference for Hufflepuff almost made him wish he would get sorted into that house as well. After all; he shared many of the typical characteristics of Hufflepuff from what he had heard. Not at least his loyalty. But at the same time he did not want to become just a copy of his father.
"Wow, so you're playing Quidditch? My grandpa took me to see a couple of Quidditch games when I was younger. But my dad's not exactly the broom flier type." Simon chuckled. "More like the office type. He works at the Ministry, you see. Quite a lot, to be frankly. Are you planning on joining a Quidditch team?"
For a short moment, he reflected about what kind of type he was. Was he the office type, same as his father? Or was he the broom flier type? He did enjoy being physically active and was often climbing trees as a kid, but Simon had not much experience of broom flying. The sudden realization that he within the next couple of weeks would be sitting on a broomstick in front of Madison made him a little nervous. He did not want to seem like the boring type or end up making a fool out of himself.
"It would be nice to be in the same house, though even if we're not, would you still want to be friends?", Madison asked him.
A warm feeling spread in his belly.
"Of course", said Simon and smiled. "Either way we'll be classmates, so we're gonna see each other every day for the rest of the year. But I'd love to hang out outside class also. Honestly", (this was his moment to show that he was more like the broom flier type) "I'm as eager as starting classes as I am just exploring the castle and the grounds." He was quite proud with that line.
They reached the top of the stairs where a professor greeted the newly arrived first years. Simon was happy to arrive at Hogwarts with someone who had explicitly asked him to be his friend.